Symbolical interactionism – one of the most popular theories in sociology which studies behavior of the person in society and how people interpret others behavior.
Essence of the theory of symbolical interactionism
The person – a being public. But, unlike other living beings who also have the society (for example, bees and ants) the people have no congenital behavior models. We as plasticine from which it is possible to mold anything. Then why we need society how it arose and what place in society allocates for itself each of us? The theory of symbolical interactionism asks these questions.
The author of the theory, the American sociologist George Herbert Meade, considered that it is all about ability of people to communicate by means of symbols. Without communication there is no human society, we just could not agree, without calling the same thing the same word. Besides words, the person actively uses a sign language, a mimicry which are symbols too.
Followers of this theory consider that our reality is created by ourselves, choosing and interpreting the facts from life as it is convenient to us. For example, almost all know the constellation of Big Dipper, but very few people see in this congestion of stars directly a she-bear, people see a ladle. They know that if in the sky the ladle is visible – means, this is Big Dipper, a symbol. People not robots, they not always act predictably, reacting to any incentive. Chooses certain, significant symbols from a set of the facts of people and "digests" them in own way, doing next the corresponding conclusions and acts. Sociologists consider that it is impossible to understand neither the certain person, nor society, without knowing, how exactly the person "digests" these symbols.
Minuses of the theory of symbolical interactionism
Any theory has merits and demerits. The symbolical interactionism considers the person free, doing that he wants. However each of us has certain framework, obligations and rules of society. Even if strongly to want, you cannot come to work without clothes, of course, if you do not work in a striptease club. A framework and restrictions is inherent in society, and ourselves actively support them. The theory of symbolical interactionism is very ephemeral, it is difficult to measure or conduct it a social research. It is directed to studying the individual, her public relations, without history, culture, work. Social inequality is not reflected in this theory too in any way. Big minus is also that it does not consider emotions and their impact on behavior of the person.